ACT Practice Test 2 pptx

ACT Practice Test 2 READING Passage V SOCIAL SCIENCE: The following passage is excerpted from a popular journal of archeology.. According to the passage, which of the following was prima

ACT Practice Test 2 READING

Passage V

SOCIAL SCIENCE: The following passage is

excerpted from a popular journal of archeology.

About fifty miles west of Stonehenge,

buried in the peat bogs of the Somerset

flat-lands in southwestern England, lies the

old-est road known to humanity Dubbed the

“Sweet Track” after its discoverer, Raymond [5]

Sweet, this painstakingly constructed

1800-meter road dates back to the early Neolithic

period, some 6,000 years ago Thanks

pri-marily to the overlying layer of acidic peat,

which has kept the wood moist, inhibited [10]

the growth of decay bacteria, and

discour-aged the curiosity of animal life, the road is

remarkably well-preserved Examination of

its remains has provided extensive

informa-tion about the people who constructed it [15]

The design of the Sweet Track indicates

that its builders possessed extraordinary

engineering skills In constructing the road,

they first hammered pegs into the soil in the

form of upright Xs Single rails were slid [20]

beneath the pegs so that the rails rested

firmly on the soft surface of the bog Then

planks were placed in the V-shaped space

formed by the upper arms of the pegs This

underlying rail to distribute the weight of

the plank above and thereby prevent the

pegs from sinking into the marsh—is

remarkably sophisticated, testifying to a

sur-prisingly advanced level of technology [30]

Furthermore, in order to procure the

materials for the road, several different

species of tree had to be felled, debarked,

and split This suggests that the builders

possessed high quality tools and that they [35]

knew the differing properties of various

roundwoods It appears also that the

builders were privy to the finer points of

lumbering, maximizing the amount of

wood extracted from a given tree by slicing [40]

logs of large diameter radially and logs of

small diameter tangentially

Studies of the Sweet Track further

indi-cate a high level of social organization

among its builders This is supported by the [45]

observation that the road seems to have

been completed in a very short time;

tree-ring analysis confirms that the components

of the Sweet Track were probably all felled

within a single year Moreover, the fact that [50]

such an involved engineering effort could be

orchestrated in the first place hints at a

complex social structure

Finally, excavation of the Sweet Track

has provided evidence that the people who [55]

built it comprised a community devoted to

land cultivation It appears that the road was

built to serve as a footpath linking two

islands—islands that provided a source of

timber, cropland, and pastures for the com- [60]

munity that settled the hills to the south

Furthermore, the quality of the pegs

indicates that the workers knew enough to

fell trees in such a way as to encourage the

rapid growth of long, straight, rod-like [65]

shoots from the remaining stumps, to be

used as pegs This method, called coppicing,

is the earliest known example of woodland

management

Undoubtedly, the discovery of the [70]

Sweet Track in 1970 added much to our

knowledge of Neolithic technology But

while study of the remains has revealed

unexpectedly high levels of engineering and

social organization, it must be remembered [75]

that the Sweet Track represents the work of

a single isolated community One must be

careful not to extrapolate sweeping

general-izations from the achievements of such a

31 It is most likely that the author refers to the peat bog as “acidic” (line 9) in order to:

A indicate the importance of protecting ancient ruins from the effects of modern pollution

B distinguish between the effects of acidic and basic conditions on ancient ruins

C suggest that acidic conditions were important in inhibiting decay

D prove the relevance of knowledge of chemical properties to archaeological concerns

32 The primary focus of the passage is:

F the high degree of social organization exhibited by earlier cultures

G the complex construction and composition of the Sweet Track

H an explanation for the survival of the Sweet Track for over 6,000 years

J an exploration of the ways in which the Sweet Track reveals aspects of a particular Neolithic society

33 In the passage, the author mentions ring analysis as evidence that:

A the road is at least 6,000 years old

B the Sweet Track was constructed quickly

C the techniques used in building the road were quite sophisticated

D the builders knew enough to split thick trees radially and thin trees tangentially

34 As it is explained in the passage, “woodland management” (lines 78-79) is best described as a system in which trees are:

F lumbered in controlled quantities

G planted only among trees of their own species

H cultivated in specialized ways for specific purposes

J felled only as they are needed

35 According to the passage, which of the following was primarily responsible for the preservation of the Sweet Track until modern times?

A It was located in an area containing very few animals

B Its components were buried beneath the peat bog

C Local authorities prohibited development in the surrounding area

D It was protected from excessive humidity

36 The last paragraph suggests that the author believes that the Sweet Track:

F is not as technologically advanced as is generally believed

G should not necessarily be regarded as representative of its time

H has not been studied extensively enough to support generalized conclusions

J will force historians to reevaluate their assumptions about the Neolithic technology

Passage VI

SOCIAL SCIENCE: The passage below is

excerpted from “The Stereotype Trap” by

Sharon Begley (© 2000 Newsweek, Inc.) The

passage explains recent research on the effects

of stereotypes on performance.

The students had no idea of the real

purpose of the study they had volunteered

for… So when 40 black and 40 white

Princeton undergraduates volunteered to

play mini-golf, the psychologists dissembled [5]

a bit This is a test of “natural ability,” Jeff

Stone and his colleagues informed some of

the kids This is a test of “the ability to think

strategically,” they told others Then the

stu-dents—non-golfers all—played the course, [10]

one at a time Among those told the test

measured natural ability, black students

scored, on average, more than four strokes

better than whites In the group told the test

gauged strategic savvy, the white kids scored [15]

four strokes better, the researchers reported

last year “When people are reminded of a

negative stereotype about themselves—

‘white men can’t jump’ or ‘black men can’t

think’—it can adversely affect perform- [20]

ance,” says Stone, now at the University of

Arizona

Another group of students, 46 Asian

American female undergrads at Harvard,

thought they were taking a tough, 12-ques- [25]

tion math test Before one group attacked

the advanced algebra, they answered written

questions emphasizing ethnicity (“How

many generations of your family have lived

in America?”) Another group’s question- [30]

naire subtly reminded them of their gender

(“Do you live on a co-ed or single-sex dorm

floor?”) Women who took the math test

after being reminded of their Asian

her-itage—and thus, it seems, the stereotype [35]

that Asians excel at math—scored highest,

getting 54 percent right The women whose

questionnaire implicitly reminded them of

the stereotype that, for girls, “math is hard,”

as Barbie infamously said, scored lowest, [40]

answering 43 percent correctly

The power of stereotypes, scientists had

long figured, lay in their ability to change

the behavior of the person holding the

stereotype… But five years ago Stanford [45]

University psychologist Claude Steele

showed something else: it is the targets of a

stereotype whose behavior is most

power-fully affected by it A stereotype that

per-vades the culture the way “ditzy blondes” [50]

and “forgetful seniors” do makes people

painfully aware of how society views

them—so painfully aware, in fact, that

knowledge of the stereotype can affect how

well they do on intellectual and other [55]

tasks…

In their seminal 1995 study, Steele and

Joshua Aronson, now at New York

Univer-sity, focused on how the threat posed by

stereotypes affects African Americans [60]

They reasoned that whenever black

stu-dents take on an intellectual task, like an

SAT, they face the prospect of confirming

widely held suspicions about their

brain-power This threat, the psychologists sus- [65]

pected, might interfere with performance

To test this hunch, Steele and Aronson gave

44 Stanford undergrads questions from the

verbal part of the tough Graduate Record

Exam One group was asked, right before [70]

the test, to indicate their year in school, age,

major, and other information The other

group answered all that, as well as one final

question: what is your race? The results

were sobering “Just listing their race [75]

undermined the black students’

perform-ance,” says Steele, making them score

sig-nificantly worse than blacks who did not

note their race, and significantly worse

than all whites But the performance of [80]

black Stanfordites who were not explicitly

reminded of their race equaled that of

whites, found the scientists

You do not even have to believe a

neg-ative stereotype to be hurt by it, psycholo- [85]

gists find As long as you care about the

ability you’re being tested on, such as

golf-ing or math, and are familiar with the

stereotype (“girls can’t do higher math”), it

can sink you What seems to happen is that [90]

as soon as you reach a tough par three or a

difficult trig problem, the possibility of

confirming, and being personally reduced

to, a painful stereotype causes enough

dis-tress to impair performance “If you are a [95]

white male and you find yourself having

difficulty, you may begin to worry about

failing the test,” says psychologist Paul

Davies of Stanford in an upcoming paper

But “if you are a black male…you begin to [100]

worry…about failing your race by

con-firming a negative stereotype.”

You don’t outgrow it, either Becca

Levy of Yale showed over-60 volunteers

subliminal messages (through words flashed [105]

quickly on a monitor) and then tested

them on memory Seniors who saw words

like “Alzheimer’s,” “senile” and “old” always

scored worse than seniors who saw words

like “wise” and “sage”—in some tests, by 64 [110]

percent Does it matter? In a follow-up,

Levy used the same subliminal priming

But this time she asked the volunteers

whether they would accept life-prolonging

medical intervention Those seniors primed [115]

with positive stereotypes usually said yes;

those reminded of senility and frailty said

no “What’s so frightening,” says Levy, “is

that the stereotype, at least in the short run,

37 According to the passage, simply specifying one’s race before a test:

A has a more marked effect than specifying one’s gender

B is too inconsequential to have any significant influence

C can affect one’s performance on that test

D is less likely to have influence than seeing subliminal messages flashed quickly

on a monitor

38 According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

F A person must believe that a stereotype is true in order to be affected by that stereotype

G Stereotypes about race, age, and gender have all been demonstrated to affect the performance of test subjects

H Though the influence of stereotypes on their subjects has only been investigated relatively recently, the influence of stereotypes on those who believe them has long been accepted

J Stereotypes can continue to have an influence on people throughout their lives

39 It can be inferred from the description of the experiment in the first paragraph (lines 1-22) that many of the students involved:

I -were aware of racial stereotypes about inherent physical and mental

abilities

II -felt pressure to disprove the hypothesis of the experiment

III -likely scored differently because of educational disparities

A I only

B II only

C I and II only

D I and III only

40 The author most likely mentions “a difficult trig” problem in lines 91-92 to:

F emphasize that most stereotypes involve mental abilities

G provide an example of a task with which stereotypes can interfere

H imply that gender stereotypes, like those about mathematical ability, have more influence than stereotypes about age or race

J explain the existence of prevalent gender stereotypes about mathematical reasoning

41 Based on the passage, the author would most likely agree with which of the

following?

A By understanding the origins of stereotypes, we can work towards a world in which fewer and fewer people believe such ideas

B Although stereotypes about race and age are still prevalent, gender stereotypes are increasingly less widespread

C It is possible to be severely affected by a stereotype which you believe to be untrue

D As people grow older, they are likely to be less directly affected by stereotypes

42 The primary intent of the author of the passage was most likely to:

F trace the history of the effect of stereotypes on test performance

G explain the sociological mechanisms by which stereotypes develop and spread

H summarize a number of scientific investigations into the influence of stereotypes

on those about whom the stereotypes are held

J investigate the extent to which racial stereotypes affect students’ performance on college entrance exams

43 As used in line 5, the word dissembled most closely means:

A took apart

B hid their true purpose

C talked extensively

D communicated in an unfamiliar way

44 Which of the following characteristics is NOT the subject of a stereotype cited in the passage?

F Age

G Gender

H Religion

J Race

45 Based on the final paragraph, it is reasonable to infer that the author believes which

of the following?

A People can be influenced by stereotypes while making important life decisions

B People are unlikely to change long-held beliefs based on exposure to stereotypes

C “Subliminal priming” provides too brief an exposure to adequately assess the impact of stereotypes

D Exposure to negative stereotypes is the primary cause of frailty and senility in seniors

46 What was the conclusion of the “seminal 1995 study” cited in line 57?

F Stereotypes about “natural ability” often have more impact than those about mental abilities

G Because of a need to disprove negative stereotypes, many African Americans perform better when aware of those stereotypes

H For the undergraduates studied, stereotypes about the mathematical ability of Asian Americans had more impact than stereotypes about the same ability in African Americans

J For many African Americans, an awareness of negative stereotypes about

intellectual ability can impair test performance

Passage VII

SOCIAL SCIENCE: The following passage is

an adapted excerpt from “The Return of the

Big Cats” by Mac Margolis (copyright © 2000

Newsweek, Inc.) The passage compares the

benefits and costs of Brazil’s growing jaguar

population.

Marcos Nunes is not likely to forget his

first holiday in Brazil’s Pantanal wilderness

One afternoon last October he was coaxing

his horse through a lonely tuft of woods

when he suddenly found himself staring [5]

down a fully grown spotted jaguar He held

his breath while the painted cat and her cub

paraded silkily through the grove, not 10

meters away… “Thank you,” he wrote later

in a hotel visitor’s log, “for the wonderful [10]

fright!”

As Nunes and other ecotourists are

dis-covering, these big, beautiful animals, once

at the brink of extinction, are now staging a

comeback Exactly how dramatic a come- [15]

back is difficult to say because jaguars—

Panthera onca, the largest feline in the New

World—are solitary, secretive, nocturnal

predators Each cat needs to prowl at least 35

square kilometers by itself Brazil’s Pantanal, [20]

vast wetlands that spill over a

140,000-square-kilometer swath of South America

the size of Germany, gives them plenty of

room to roam Nevertheless, scientists who

have been tagging jaguars with radio trans- [25]

mitters for two decades have in recent years

been reporting a big increase in sightings

Hotels, campgrounds, and

bed-and-break-fasts have sprung up to accommodate the

half-million tourists a year (twice the num- [30]

ber five years ago) bent on sampling the

Pantanal’s wildlife, of which the great cats

must be the most magnificent example

Most sightings come from local cattle

herders—but their jaguar stories have a very [35]

different ring One day last September,

ranch hand Abel Monteiro was tending

cat-tle near the Rio Vermelho, in the southern

Pantanal, when, he says, a snarling jaguar

leaped from the scrub and killed his two [40]

bloodhounds Monteiro barely had time to

grab his 38 revolver and kill the angry cat

Leonelson Ramos da Silva says last May he

and a group of field hands had to throw

flaming sticks all night to keep a prowling [45]

jaguar from invading their forest camp…

The Brazilian interior, famous for its

gener-ous spirit and cowboy bonhomie, is now the

scene of a political cat fight between the

sci-entists, environmentalists, and ecotourists [50]

who want to protect the jaguars and the

embattled ranchers who want to protect

themselves and their livelihood

The ranchers, to be sure, have enough

headaches coping with the harsh, sodden [55]

landscape without jaguars attacking their

herds and threatening their livelihoods

Hard data on cattle losses due to jaguars in

the Pantanal are nonexistent, but there are

stories In 1995, Joo Julio Dittmar bought a [60]

6,200-hectare strip of ideal breeding ground,

only to lose 152 of his 600 calves to jaguars,

he claims Ranchers chafe at laws that

for-bid them to kill the jaguars “This is a

ques-tion of democracy,” says Dittmar “We [65]

ranchers ought to be allowed to control our

own environment.”

Man and jaguar have been sparring

for territory ever since 18th-century

set-tlers, traders, and herdsmen began to move [70]

into this sparsely populated serto, or back

lands By the 1960s, the Pantanal was a vast,

soggy canvas, white with gleaming herds of

Nelore cattle Game hunters were bagging

15,000 jaguars a year in the nearby Amazon [75]

Basin (no figures exist on the Pantanal) as

the worldwide trade in pelts reached $30

million a year As the jaguars grew scarce,